Comic Review: IDW - Judge Dredd: Under Siege
December is kicking my ass! Work got busy; life got busy; it is just all happening. But let’s squeeze in some blogging while I can. This time, it is an IDW tale I haven't heard of before. Let's not mess around and head into details.:
Details
Title: Judge Dredd - Under Siege.
Author: Mark Russell
Illustrator: Max Dunbar
Type: Graphic Novel
Publisher: IDW
Page Count: 96 pages
Commercial Fluff:
Tense, gritty action as Judge Dredd keeps law and order in the chaos that is Mega-City One.
When all contact with the Patrick Swayze Block is lost, Dredd and Judge Beeny are tasked with investigating. As they battle lawlessness and rampant criminality, they discover a threat to the city that they must contain at all costs...
Review
Okay, I will be the first to admit that this is a good read. A lot of the time, IDW misses the mark for me, but not on this tale. This reads like it could have come from an issue of 2000 AD.
The plot is straightforward enough; Dredd is sent into Patrick Swayze's block to help locate Judge Beeny. He discovers that Muties have found an entry point inside the block and are laying siege to the entire block. Realizing the two Judges can't face a threat alone, Dredd and Beeny are forced into an uneasy truce with the local crimelord known as the Mayor. This story is a great social commentary on how communities are forced to look after themselves as an uncaring system abandons them daily.
The villains were your standard bad guys, mean enough to hate them but also human enough to understand their motive; I also enjoyed that they weren't 'super' villains but instead more standard bad guys. The Mayor was also likable and could be compared to Mega-City 1 Robin Hood. The artwork is excellent and shows off the inside of a block perfectly. It has given me many ideas for building my gaming table, which is always lovely!
The main negative for me was the page count. At 96, it felt like it could have been even better with another 20 pages. But overall, this is a great read, and I would happily pick up a copy for my collection.
